I love having canned pie filling on hand for quick desserts. It is so handy when unexpected guests come or when I am asked to provide a meal for a family needing loving support and comfort. This past year has necessitated dietary changes so I have begun trying to adapt my recipes to low-sugar and sugar-free.
This week I canned twelve quarts of sugar-free peach pie filling and had enough leftover to make a sample pie. It received rave reviews from my husband and my coworkers who had a hard time believing that it was sugar-free.
I adapted the recipe my mom’s recipe substituting liquid stevia for the sugar. It also required adapting my preparation methods so I wasn’t canning clumps of tapioca. Eww!
I’m looking forward to trying my adapted recipe with pears, apples, berries and more!
- 10 pounds of sliced peaches (after peeling and pitting fruit)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
- 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid stevia
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 4 teaspoons stevia
- water
- Peel and pit peaches. Treat to prevent darkening, if desired. (I place mine in a very large stainless steel bowl with 1/2 cup of lemon juice and a gallon of water.)
- Slice peaches and measure on a kitchen scale. Place in a large pot with the 4 teaspoons of stevia and enough water to prevent sticking and scorching. Heat to 190 degrees (just under boiling), stirring frequently.
- When peaches reach 190 degrees, measure lemon juice and 1/2 cup cold water into a bowl. Whisk tapioca into bowl and add mixture to peaches while stirring so tapioca does not clump.
- While stirring reheat to 190 degrees but do not boil.
- Ladle into clean, hot, quart jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace; seal.
- Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
To prepare, make (or buy) a double-crust pie dough. Roll out the bottom and place it in a pie plate. Open jar (make sure the seal pops!) and spoon into bottom crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add three to four thin slices of butter around the top of the filling. Roll out the top crust and place on top of filling. Crimp the edges of the bottom and top crusts together to seal. Make three to four one-inch slits in the top crust and brush crust lightly with whipping cream or half-n-half. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
During this season of bountiful fruits and vegetables, I do my best to preserve what I can while being frugal with what I spend for fruit and supplies. I calculated the cost of the peaches, the stevia, and the canning lids. I reuse my jars and the metal rings each year. The twelve jars of sugar-free pie filling cost me about $3.25 a quart. A 21-ounce can in the grocery store costs at least $3.50 and a quart jar of regular pie filling in a specialty shop or farmer’s market usually costs at least $8.00.
I don’t calculate the “cost” of my time because this is what I love doing and what was modeled for me by my grandmas, mom, and aunts. And by doing it myself, I know exactly what is in it and that is very important to me.
Have you tried home preserving? Canning, freezing, dehydrating? It’s much simpler than it looks and the rewards of a full pantry and a job well done are more than worth the effort!
Sharing my heart 4 home,
